Who We Are

We are Orange County's YIMBY Group.

YIMBY stands for Yes In My Backyard. We are part of the YIMBY movement that has taken hold in cities across California and nationwide. We are OC residents organized to advocate for more homebuilding and lower housing costs. Our vision is an Orange County with enough housing for the people already here and those who move for job opportunities in our county's strong economy.

What does sucess look like?​We will be successful when there are more housing options and opportunities in Orange County and housing costs are more in line with wages and incomes. To get there, we need elected leaders who approve new housing proposals and projects that expand housing opportunities. ​We also need you, our neighbors, to join us in advocating for more housing.

Why do we need More Housing in Orange County?

For the past 40 years cities in Coastal California, including Orange County, have enacted and enforced land use regulations that have made housing production increasingly difficult despite strong demand from a growing population. New generations of native Californians are ready to establish their own households. They are joined by new transplants from other regions who move to Orange County and contribute to our communities, but the shortage of housing units has made it difficult to find suitable homes. Many development projects that conform to land use requirements and would add much-needed housing are blocked by established neighbors who oppose development in their communities.

For generations, Orange County was defined by plentiful housing and good jobs that made it an affordable place to live and raise a family. It offered residents a high quality of life and opportunities for upward mobility. In recent years, neighborhood opposition has delayed and denied housing production and made Orange County a place defined by its housing scarcity. Homes are expensive; rents are high, and wages have not kept up with the costs of living here. Many people live in over-crowded conditions, and young adults continue to live "at home" with their parents even after they have graduated and gotten jobs.

If future generations are to experience the opportunities Orange County once offered, we must build the housing they need to establish themselves on the first rung of the housing ladder. Investing in more housing will enable young people and working families to find a suitable place to call home. Orange County will once again be a place where opportunities abound for hardworking people to establish themselves in the middle class, where children can thrive, and where the future of our communities will be brighter because of the dynamic contributions of our new neighbors.

About the California Housing Summit

YIMBY organizers in Orange County were compelled to act after attending the statewide California Housing Summit sponsored by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) on October 11, 2016 at the L.A. Hotel. The conference publications can be found on the conference website.

People for Housing is a sponsored project of Charitable Ventures of Orange County, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt fiscal sponsor. All gifts received through Charitable Ventures of Orange County on behalf of People for Housing are tax deductible for income tax purposes within the limits of the law. ​